"There you are wrong! That is the main reason you have become a Bold Lion." He reached into a drawer and withdrew a folded sheet of paper, which he opened out and placed on his desk.

"This is a chart of Yipton, in as much detail as we are able to achieve. Here is the dock, and here is the Arkady Inn. These blue marks are canals. They open into the ocean, as you will notice, at the passes between the rim islands. The pink-shaded area is the Caglioro, or the Pot. All these passages and canals have names, but each Yip, for whatever reason, tells us something different.

"Now then"-- Bodwyn Wook tapped another section of the chart" here is Pussycat Palace. Notice this gray area beside the dock. It's also just behind the hotel, which must be sheer chance. The Yips are evasive about this area, and we want to know what goes on here. As a Bold Lion you're expected to be undisciplined and erratic, and you'll have more latitude, than the ordinary visitors: possibly just enough for you to learn something. It won't be easy; in fact, it may well be dangerous, but it's a job which needs to be done. What about it?"

"I'll do my best."

"I expect no more. Naturally you will say nothing to anyone in regard to this mission, except your father, Scharde."

"Very well, sir."

The school term proceeded. Aries attended classes in surly silence and once again managed to jerk himself back from the brink of dismissal.

Wayness and Milo followed their own routines, indifferent to the presence of Aries. For a time Wayness was attended by whispers and coven glances, stimulated by Aries' wild explanations of his black eye, but the scandal collapsed of its own improbability.

Toward Glawen Wayness continued to use elusive tactics, or so it seemed. Try as he might, he could arrive at no explanation for her distant behavior. One day, when Milo had not come to school, Glawen walked Way ness home. For a space she held him at arm's length with flippant remarks and comments on schoolwork, but at last Glawen became impatient. Taking her hand, he swung her smartly round, so that she stood facing him. She cried out, half laughing: "Glawen! I had to jump and skip to keep from turning a somersault! Is that what you had in mind?"

"I want to know why you are acting so oddly."

Wayness put on an airy attitude.

"Please, Glawen, don't be cross. It's not easy being me nowadays."

"One would never guess. You make it seem so effortless."

Wayness smiled.

"I don't lack for help. Mother is training me for a life of dignity and decorum. You want me to be a full-fledged Clattuc, ready for anything, fearless of scandal or disgrace."

"Yes; it gives one a fine feeling of freedom!"

"But there is someone else with even more influence over me.

This person urges me in quite a different direction, with advice that I can't ignore."

"Oh? Who is this wise individual?"

"Me."

Glawen presently asked: "And what advice do you hear from yourself?"

Wayness turned away; the two walked south along the Beach Road.

"It concerns something which I've never mentioned before, and I'd prefer not to talk about it now."

"Why not? Is it a secret, or a mystery?"

"It's something I learned when Milo and I were last on Earth, and it's become an obsession with me. I intend to go back to Earth as soon as I've finished school. With Milo, if he'll come."

The light from Syrene suddenly seemed less bright and cheerful. Glawen asked: "Do you intend to enlighten me, ever?"

"I hadn't thought about it, one way or the other."

"And this is why you want to break off our relationship."

Wayness burst out laughing.

"That's very poor logic! I said nothing of the sort! Anyway it's not the reason. In fact, there isn't any reason except that I know myself and I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

Wayness gave an oblique answer.

"At Stroma our love affairs arc very demure. Just to sit in a corner with someone, drinking tea and eating cookies, is considered high adventure."

Glawen made a glum sound.

"We haven't even reached that stage yet."

"Don't be in such a hurry; it drags on forever and it's tiresome, especially if Mother hangs around."

"What's the next stage?"

"That's the one of which I'm afraid. I don't want to start something which takes my mind off--more important things."

"I take it you mean your trip to Earth?"

Wayness nodded.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have brought the subject up, except that I'd have to tell you sooner or later and it's only fair to tell you sooner, so that you can avoid me, if you're of a mind to do so."

"And this is why you've been hiding from me?"

Wayness again gave an oblique answer.

"I've decided not to hide from you anymore."

"That's good news."

They arrived at the path which led through the trees to Riverview House. Wayness hesitated, moved first in one direction then another, until Glawen caught her and kissed her: once, then twice.

"The answer then is yes?"

"Yes? To what?"

"To our so-called relationship."

Wayness gave her shoulders a jerk, squinted, squirmed, tilted her head, twitched her nose, made a fluttering gesture with her fingers.